Claims and Evidence Worksheet

Reading Worksheet · Grades 4–6

Claims and Evidence Worksheet

A 3-page worksheet for grades 4-6 that teaches students to identify the claim and evidence in an argument passage. Students read a short argument about children learning to cook, locate the main claim and two pieces of evidence in Section A, and finish with three short-response items that explain WHY evidence supports a claim, write a counter-claim with a counter-example, and identify a signal phrase. Includes a strategy reference and a complete answer key.

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Preview of page 1 of the Claims and Evidence Worksheet

Subject

Reading

Grades

Grades 4–6

Skill Focus

Claims and Evidence, reading comprehension

Lesson Length

25 minutes

Lesson Overview

About this worksheet

Reading argument is a different skill than reading fiction or even reading informational nonfiction. An argument passage asks the reader to decide whether to agree. A strong reader recognizes the writer’s CLAIM (the opinion they want you to accept) and the EVIDENCE the writer offers to support it, and then decides whether the evidence is strong enough. This worksheet builds that habit through one focused argument passage about children learning to cook.

The reference box at the top of page 1 defines CLAIM and EVIDENCE and gives signal-word lists for each. Claim signals include SHOULD, MUST, the BEST, BELIEVES; evidence signals include FOR EXAMPLE, RESEARCH SHOWS, STUDIES FOUND, ACCORDING TO. The reference uses a generic claim about dogs as family pets so the passage’s specific cooking-and-math arguments stay independent of the reference framing.

Section A asks five identification questions: the main claim, two pieces of evidence, a claim-signal word, and an expert/study citation. Section B on page 2 deepens the skill into evaluation. Students explain WHY one piece of evidence supports the claim (the reasoning that connects evidence to claim), write a COUNTER-CLAIM with a counter-example to support it, and finally quote an evidence-signal phrase from the passage. Distinct from IW-READING-TEXTEVIDENCE-001 (which focuses on citing evidence in a FICTION passage, not analyzing argument structure).

Page 3 is a complete answer key. The claim and signal-word items have exact answers; the evidence items accept multiple correct quotes; the counter-claim and reasoning items are marked ‘sample:’ because argument evaluation has many defensible positions. Teachers should look for the connection between evidence and claim (the ‘because’) rather than verbatim match on the sample.

How to Use This Lesson

Read the reference box aloud and have students give an example of a claim about a school policy (recess length, homework load, lunch menu).

Have students read the cooking-argument passage independently, underlining any sentence that feels like an opinion (a candidate claim).

Work Section A items 1-3 together (claim + two pieces of evidence); have students defend their claim choice by pointing at the signal words.

Assign Section A items 4-5 and all of Section B independently; Section B item 2 (counter-claim) is the most diagnostic – it requires students to think against the passage.

Use Section B item 1 (explain WHY evidence supports the claim) as a structured class share – this is the reasoning step argument readers must learn.

Use the answer key on page 3 for partner review or aide spot-check.

Printable Resource

A classroom-ready PDF with everything in one printable resource.

Full Member Resource · Printable PDF · 3 pages · Answer Key